My question to the fit community is, are there any usefull DIY websites or books that I could refer to to get a basic knowledge of how to set up my own sound system in my Fit?

Here's the deal. I've had two 10" subs lying around for quite some time and I've been wanting to put them to use. I don't have a box or amp... yet, but that's mostly because when it comes to sound systems I'm clueless.

I don't want to buy a box and have it installed by someone else, because I really want to learn how to do it on my own and save some money at the same time. Help!

 

Any advice, fitfreaks? I'm in the same boat -- got my Fit Sport (white) 4 days ago. The sound system sounds pretty good but I've got two brand new tens sitting in the house, no box. And a small amp, but I don't have any experience installing these things.

p.s. - I dig your mods Baylorbro - I had K&N drop-ins in my previous vehicles - did you notice any difference? I'm thinking of doing the calipers red too, like I did on my first car, a 67 beetle. Did you install the 3M, or did a pro do that along with the tint?

 

Hey, thanks. It claims to ad 3-5HP which I say I notice but it might all be mental... kind of hard to tell a 3% change. But I mainly bought it for it's lifetime warranty. Got it for $25 shipped and won't have to buy a filter again.

Tint was installed professionally at the dealership and I did the clearbra on my own with the help of avideo provided by 3M. The callipers look really nice and I bet they'd look even better on white.

 

Honestly, car audio id for me the most part very simple. It's really staright forward, but not that easy to describe through text. I know if I helped you install something in your Fit, you'd be comfortable doing just about anything as far as audio and minor electronic upgrade on your own.

What do you want to do exactly? Is it just putting in two subs on your stock HU? Or do you want to put a new HU in with new speakers? Pretty much anything is possible with knowing very little, its more of a matter of how well it will look in the end. Let me know what you'd specifically like to do and I'll see how well I can type it up. Theres also a million other guys on here that know how do everything, so hopefully multiple points of views will help with clarity.

 

If I can get by with my stock HU, that's just fine. I'm not looking to outperform anyone. I'd just like to get the two 10's in there and add a little kick. I can build my own box, and I still need an amp, obviously, but from there I'm pretty clueless. Wiring will be the main issue, as well as finding out whether or not I'll need a diff and/or extra battery.

 

Well, you'll only need a second or larger battery if you really plan on bumping it. If you're just looking for a bit more bass, consider only using one of the subs to save room in the back. As far as amp goes, find out what the ratings are for your subs (they should be listed on the back, or at least a model number to Google) and find an amp that's appropriate.

(This inadvertently turned into a semi-DIY, so both myself and Fitfreak.net take no responsibility for any damages done to your vehicle. If you're not comfortable with anything in this write up, have a professional do the work for you.)

Okay, wiring. If you're planning on keeping the stock HU, thats fine. Only downside is that you won't have control over the sub except for the bass function on the stock HU. Some amps come with a sub control know that can be handy, but some installers consider them a tad ghetto. But if it does what you need, who cares?

What you will need is a Line Output Converter, an amp install kit (includes battery cable (you'll want 4g), ground cable, remote turn on wire, RCAs (probably 17 feet), fuse holder (60-100 amps is fine) and speaker wire), and of course your amp, box and subs.

If you're keeping the stock HU, you'll need what's called a line output converter. This is going to tap into the wires for two speakers behind the HU and have an RCA output that the amp can use. Many amps have a high level input, basically running speaker wire directly into the amp. This is not very efficient and is only recommended in desperate situations. I usually recommend tapping the rear speakers. If you want the subs off, all you have to do is fade forward.

Okay, so now you have you're line output converter in. While you have your HU out, you'll want to run the remote turn on wire. This is a wire that will run to the amp and will turn on the amp when the car is on. Tag the accessory wire behind the deck for this and run it with the RCAs coming out of the LOC.

Now you'll want to run these behind the glove box, down the right side of the Fit. One thing you will notice is that the Fit is truly an economy car. You can tell by the way the panels come off and go back on. They don't like being taken off, so try to be gentle. Although, because it's cheap you'll find you need a bit of force.

Now for the Battery cable. You'll want 4g if you're doing subs, they'll perform better. The fuse should be inline and within 12 inches of the battery under the hood (MECP standard). You'll also want to get some 1 inch wire loom to put on the battery cable to protect it under the hood. With the fuse out of the fuse holder (so that the battery cable isn't live) remove the bolt on the battery's positive post and attach the cable. If you completely remove the factory cable, it's okay. Just rememeber to have you code for your stock HU handy. Now there should be a decent sized grommet in the firewall wen you're looking towards the car in the upper right hand side. Use a largeish screw driver to sort of move it over, being careful to not completely dislodge it and VERY careful to not damage any wires in the loom. Shove the huge battery cable through it, and have someone on the other end pull slowly while you feed it. The goal is to not damage the batter cable.

This battery cable will get run on the left side of the car. I haven't done this yet on mine, but it looks like there should be enough room under the panels. When doing a subwoofer amp, it's not required to run the power and signal on different sides, but if it's possible its always best to do so. This will help reduce the chance of interference. Run this to where you plan on putting the amp. One of the most popular places is on the back of the rear seats. If thats where you put it, make sure to leave enough slack so that the seats can still fold down and lean back. You can probably secure the amp to the seat by using 4 2 inch drywall screws (Once again, haven't done it. Someone may be able to say what they used). I'll be putting my amps under the driver and passenger seats as my cargo room is very important.

Not that you have the RCAs, remote turn on, and battery cable, all you have left is the ground cable. The ground cable needs to be the same size as the battery cable. You NEED to have a very good ground. A bad ground is easily the most common reason I have cars in with troubleshoots. You can make a good ground by finding a spot on the metal floor that has no plugs or looms near it. Get a good idea of where it is and stick your head under the car to make ABSOLUTELY sure that there is nothing there on the other side, like a gas tank! Once you're completely sure the spot is clear, take a flat head screw driver and scrape the paint and primer away in the area about as big as a dime or nickel. Get down to bare metal, nice and shiny! Then take a smaller (say, 3/4 inch) self tapping screw and screw the ground cable terminal into the floor. Personally, I use a star washer under the terminal, then two more screws on either side to make absolutely sure it is secure.

Now, connect everything to the amp. You want to make sure that the battery and ground cables are in very good. Tug on them, move them around. If they come out, thats obviously bad. Also make sure that there are no stray strands from either of the cables that might move over to the other's terminal. That could be bad I've never understood why they're always right next to each other. If you're satisfied with how everything is connected, go ahead and pop your fuse in. Turn on the car (have it running) and see what happens! If everything went according to plans, you should be bumping! Make sure you turn your stereo to 0 volume before you start this project, though!

Let me know if anything is unclear. If you need help with wire colors, I can get them for you.